Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), flying as pilot in Axiom Mission 4. The mission is scheduled to launch on May 29 at 10:33 PM IST aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This moment sheds a light on India's return to human spaceflight after four decades, since Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz in 1984. Shukla's role on this mission highlights not just a national milestone, but a personal journey rooted in discipline, training, and years of preparation.
Shukla was born and raised in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He studied at City Montessori School and was inspired to join the Armed Forces during the 1998 Kargil War. Without informing his family, he filled out the NDA form and cleared it. After cadet training and a BSc in Computer Science from the National Defence Academy in 2005, he joined the Air Force Academy and completed flying training. In June 2006, he was commissioned as a Flying Officer in the fighter stream. Since then, he has flown aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and An-32, clocking over 2,000 hours of flying experience.
In 2019, Shukla was shortlisted by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine for the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. He was later selected in the final four astronauts by IAM and ISRO. In 2020, he went to Russia for basic spaceflight training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, returning in 2021. He then continued training at ISRO¡¯s Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore. He also earned a master¡¯s degree in Aerospace Engineering from IISc Bangalore. His official selection for India¡¯s astronaut team was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2024.
Shukla will fly as pilot of the Ax-4 mission alongside commander Peggy Whitson and two mission specialists¡ªS?awosz Uzna¨½ski-Wi?niewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Indian astronaut Prasanth Nair will be the backup crew member. This joint mission between NASA, SpaceX, ISRO, and Axiom Space will make Shukla the second Indian in space, and the first Indian to visit the ISS. His seat on the mission is reportedly valued at around Rs 500 crore. During the 14-day stay, he will carry out scientific research, including an experiment on cyanobacteria that supports life systems for India¡¯s Gaganyaan mission. ISRO confirmed that seven Indian experiments were selected after strict safety and duration-based reviews.
Shukla is married to Dr. Kamna, a dentist, and they have a four-year-old son. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, is a retired government officer, while his mother, Asha Shukla, is a homemaker. He has two elder sisters¡ªone is a teacher and the other holds an MBA. Outside his work, Shukla enjoys reading, physical exercise, and has recently become interested in horoscopes, although he identifies as agnostic.
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